B'chol Dor Vador, In Every Generation
by Mara Greengrass
Summary: The first night of Passover finds Shadowcat, the Thing, Iceman, and Sabra on a mission.


TITLE: B'chol Dor Vador (In Every Generation)  
AUTHOR: Mara Greengrass  
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL: fishfolk@ix.netcom.com. Feedback is better than chocolate.  
PERMISSION TO ARCHIVE: Yes, just let me know.  
CATEGORY: Gen  
RATINGS/WARNINGS: G  
SUMMARY: The first night of Passover finds Shadowcat, the Thing, Iceman, and Sabra on a mission.  
DISCLAIMER: All of the characters herein belong to Marvel. I'm not making any money off this, and I'll return them unharmed.  
NOTES: This is *not* connected to my Movie!Kitty story "The Lights of Hanukkah". It was written for the 2002 Holiday Fanfiction Project, which can be found at http://ontheroad.hispeed.com/iba/hfp2002/home.html.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"You *do* realize that this isn't what I had in mind when I invited you three for the first night of Passover, right?" Kitty spoke without turning, her eyes busy on the array of controls that gave her control of the jet.  
  
"Yeah," Ben said, "I coulda sworn your invitation said 'Passover seder' and not 'fly to Virginia and free mutants from some megalomaniacal corporation.'"  
  
"It's the life of a superhero," Bobby said. "I *knew* I should have gone to Los Angeles with Warren instead. But you lured me with talk of your mother's recipe for brisket, you evil woman."  
  
Kitty spared a moment from flying to stick her tongue out at him. "And miss the chance to reclaim your Jewish heritage?"  
  
"I don't remember my mother saying anything about airplanes on the few occasions when she mentioned growing up Jewish." The feigned petulance in Bobby's voice made her snicker, and she could hear the clicking as he bounced ice chips off the side of the jet. It was a habit that drove Scott out of his mind, and Kitty was pretty sure that was why Bobby did it.  
  
Ben laughed. "We didn't spend much time on planes on the Lower East Side of New York, either."  
  
"You guys are just picking on me," Kitty said. "Believe me, I didn't ask for this mission, and if I thought there was someone else nearby, say someone *not* celebrating Passover, I'd have sent them instead. You've gotta wonder how come the dozens of non-Jewish superhero types managed to make themselves scarce tonight, don't you?"  
  
"Aw, I don't really mind," Ben said, and Kitty could hear the seat creaking beneath his weight. "The holiday will come again next year. Besides, if we clear this up tonight, we'll still have the second seder tomorrow night."  
  
"You can say that because the kugel you brought will taste better the next day," Kitty said. "I'm still trying to remember if I turned off the oven, or if the brisket is going to be shoe leather by the time we get back."  
  
"The food is certainly less of a concern than the fact we're missing the seder," Ruth said, speaking up for the first time since the panicked call had come in from Xavier's mutant underground. Kitty took her eyes off flying the jet to take a quick look at Ruth; she'd hoped that this evening would allow the prickly (and somewhat humorless) Israeli to lighten up a bit, but that looked hopeless now.  
  
"Speak for yourself," Bobby said. "I'm just here for the food. Have you ever noticed that Judaism seems to be entirely about food?"  
  
"There are a *few* other aspects," Ruth said, and the rolling of her eyes was practically audible.  
  
Kitty stifled a giggle. When she was sure she wouldn't laugh, she said, "I really *do* wish someone else had been close enough to take this call. I was sort of hoping to spend one evening thinking about the past rather than the present."  
  
"What makes you think Pesach is about the past?" Ruth sounded surprised. "That is not what I associate with it at all."  
  
Kitty sensed an honest question, and she thought about it as she banked the jet gently to the left to avoid military airspace outside Washington DC. "Well, it's all about retelling the story of the exodus from Egypt, talking about baby Moses and Pharaoh, the plagues, how the Jews were slaves. That's the main part of the seder, the maggid."  
  
Ben's low rumble sounded thoughtful. "I always thought of Passover being about the present. You know, b'chol dor vador, 'in every generation, we must act as if we were the ones who came out of Egypt.' So, we think about how we're free or not free, and how we can live up to the people who came before us."  
  
"And I have always thought Pesach was about the future. Remember, Ben, there are two phrases in the haggadah that begin with b'chol dor vador, and the other says 'in every generation, they rise up against us to destroy us.' Passover is a warning that our enemies will always come back." Ruth sounded sad, and Kitty winced, realizing the woman was probably thinking of the death of her son, Jacob.  
  
For a long moment, the only sound was the muted roar of the engines. Kitty looked through the front of the plane into the darkness, thinking how isolated they really were at that moment. It was a peculiarly intimate feeling, like being stranded on a desert island.  
  
"Freedom means nothing without the contrast to slavery," Ruth said. "Every year we remind ourselves that others are still enslaved."  
  
"'Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,'" Ben said quietly. "I suppose that's where *we* come in: We provide the vigilance for those who can't."  
  
Kitty blinked away tears and concentrated on flying the jet for a few moments.  
  
"So," Bobby said, "Passover is about past, present, *and* future, and Jews everywhere."  
  
"Even those who don't know how to ask," Kitty said, grinning at him.  
  
"Don't tell me the four of us represent the four sons," Ben said. "That's too tidy for me."  
  
"Hey, that's four *children* 'round these parts," Kitty replied, grinning. She pondered for a moment. "No, I don't think it works. We'd have a fight over who gets to be the wise child, and I refuse to be branded as the wicked child just because I'm the token atheist in the room...I mean, on the plane. But Bobby is definitely the child who doesn't know how to ask."  
  
Kitty didn't look around, but she was certain Bobby was trying to decide whether he was supposed to be offended or not.  
  
"Well, even if we did end up on our way to a big dustup, I'm glad you invited me, Kitty. Thanks." Ben said.  
  
"Hey, we Jewish spandex types need to stick together, especially when lives are at stake."  
  
The plane was quiet again, all four superheroes busy with their own thoughts. The silence was finally broken as Kitty began the descent toward their rendezvous point.  
  
"Y'know," Bobby said, "there are worse things to be doing on Passover than this."  
  
"'Now we celebrate here. Next year may we be in the land of Israel. Now we are slaves. Next year may we be free.'" Ben's voice was quiet, but his recitation was heartfelt.  
  
"L'shana haba'ah b'yerushalayim," Ruth said.  
  
"Next year in Jerusalem," Kitty repeated.  
  
--end-- 


End file.
